Don't miss our Great Stand Giveaways! How to stay in visitors' minds long after your event

How many times have you attended a trade show, only to return to the office weighed down with expensively heavy printed brochures and more branded pens than you could ever use in just the one lifetime?

We know.  We’ve been there, too.  Which is why we’ve decided to use this week’s post to convince your business to ban those free pens at your next exhibition, once and for all!   

When done well, giveaways are a fantastic way to generate goodwill and get visitors smiling, which translates to a fantastic impression for you and your brand, and could result in plenty of extra business.

The first step to a great stand giveaway

It’s important to think creatively about your customer base.  Trust us, an original item that’s genuinely fun, or genuinely useful (preferably both!) that also represents you and your brand will definitely draw in visitors, and you’ll find you remain in their thoughts long after the show has finished – making it far easier to follow up on prospects later on!

(Just remember not to get too ambitious…after all, that life-sized cutout of your MD may have seemed like a fun idea at the time, but who’s actually going to carry it around all day?)

If you’re struggling for innovative ideas, read on for some of our top giveaway tips:

Think of something unique 

Have a brainstorming session with your team, where you throw around ideas related not only to your business, but something unique to your customer base.  Link back to your brand messaging and your product or service’s USPs, and then let your imagination run wild!

Give something people will actually use

“People will always use pens,” we’ve heard some companies say, but now we’re storing everything in the cloud that’s far less true than it used to be, so think again!  How about a eco-friendly tote bag instead, some branded teabags or jars of good coffee?

Try something quirky

If the idea works with your company, a T-shirt featuring a witty slogan should get people talking!  If you can relate it back to your brand, product or service in some way, all the better.

Make good use of tech

We don’t know many people who don’t love gadgets, so how about a branded USB stick or a battery phone charger?  A travel alarm clock might work well here, too.

The Holy Grail for giveaways is something people will keep in plain sight while they’re working!  Branded Post-Its or notepads are often a great way to sneak onto your visitors’ desks.

On a practical note…

We’ve seen many a company come up with a fantastic, high-quality giveaway, only to find they’ve got no room on their stand for them, so everything looks cluttered and unprofessional.

So…make sure you’ve got proper room for whatever you’re giving out.  Make your giveaways as high-quality as possible, particularly in their design and colour, and use bags to give them out if you can, too – this results in handy extra branding as people browse the rest of the show! 

If you’d rather not hand anything out, or you have a limited budget, running a prize draw or serving free coffee at your stand (as long as it’s the good stuff!) can also be very effective.

We hope we’ve given you plenty ideas for your next exhibition…think of our advice as a free giveaway, if you like!  And remember, as part of the service we provide, our team here at Guardian Exhibition & Display can take delivery of your chosen giveaways and bring them to you on the day, meaning they’ll be nice and safe as you get on with organising the rest of your event.